


Remembering Sundays

by Beneath_the_Trees



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven: Orion no Kokuin
Genre: Childhood Memories, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22513225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beneath_the_Trees/pseuds/Beneath_the_Trees
Summary: Mitsuru visits a place he'd gone to with his dad and brother what seemed like a lifetime ago.(One of my pieces for the Summer Dreams Zine)
Relationships: Ichihoshi Mitsuru & Ichihoshi Hikaru
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Remembering Sundays

Everyone always wondered what Mitsuru did aside from soccer and visiting Hikaru in the hospital.

And as much as it may not have seemed like it to his friends, Mitsuru rather _liked_ his privacy; which is exactly why whenever he was poked and prodded for an answer over why he disappeared at the same time every night, he stayed silent. He never told a single soul, this summer secret of his.

In Russia, he’d have gone to the roof of whatever school he was in at the time, but now that he was back in Japan—near his childhood home, in fact—he went to the same spot he’d gone to with his father and brother every weekend during the summer.

A small, deserted stretch of road, an abandoned shack, a makeshift fire ring long unused, and a clear view of the sky as far as the eye could see.

As Mitsuru made his way to the spot with the best view, he looked up at the stars, an ache in his chest he couldn’t quite place. How long had it been since he was last here? And this time, it was by himself.

A shiver ran unbidden down his spine, cutting through the humid summer night air. He wrapped his jersey around himself even tighter, glancing at the darkened road before looking back at the stars twinkling above him.

They were so innocent, winking and saying hello to all the night-watchers of the Earth. Idly, Mitsuru wondered if they knew of the tragedies that happened at night, of the demons that haunted and prowled around the humans they looked down upon.

“Ugh, don’t start down that path again.”

Mitsuru froze, blinking owlishly.

“…Hi..karu?” Wary, Mitsuru looked behind him with confusion in his eyes. It had sounded like Hikaru was right there next to him, teasing and scolding him for getting “too deep” over something as precious as stars, but no one was there.

Heart heavy, he sighed; if only he could bring Hikaru on these trips. He’d have eaten up the stars, pointing out every little thing that crossed the sky like he had when he was younger.

Finally reaching the spot he and his family would sit at each weekend, Mitsuru laid down the blanket he’d brought, letting out another, heavier sigh as he flopped onto his back. For a moment, he felt a shock of loneliness without the brush of a hand or the warmth of another body beside him, but just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Instead he watched the stars twinkling above him, a hand resting on his midriff and the other holding a phantom’s hand.

*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*

_“Alright, now look over there; see those three stars? The really bright ones.”_

_Mitsuru nodded, giving his dad a hum of confirmation while Hikaru let out a more verbal shout and pointed at the sky himself._

_“They make a triangle, right? There, there, and there!” Hikaru announced cheerfully, pointing out the stars individually with s’mores covered fingers. “And over there is Gemini!”_

_Their dad laughed, nodding as he reached around Mitsuru to ruffle Hikaru’s hair. “That’s right! And look, see the two brightest stars in Gemini? Those are Castor and Pollux.”_

_The names struck something in Mitsuru. “Castor and Pollux?”_

_“Yep! Want to hear their story?”_

_“Yes!” Hikaru cheered, sitting up and turning to face their dad with wide, excited eyes. Mitsuru sat up as well, scooting so he was beside Hikaru instead of in front._

_Seeing that he had their attention, their dad wasted no time in getting comfortable as well before starting the story. “Castor and Pollux are twins, the son of Leda, Tyndareus, and Zeus. Castor was mortal, while Pollux was a god, and though they were both masters at different things, they did everything together.”_

_“So what happened?” Mitsuru asked, eager to hear more._

_Their dad hummed, giving them a smile as he continued the story. Mitsuru and Hikaru were caught, captivated by the tale he shared in the dying firelight._

_“…The storm immediately ceased, and stars appeared on the heads of the twins.” Their dad tapped each of their foreheads with a finger, causing Hikaru to giggle and Mitsuru to pout as he rubbed his forehead. His fingers lingered there; the warmth pressed into his skin something he wanted to savor._

_“In the end, Pollux was incredibly distraught over his mortal brother’s death._

_“‘Please,’ He begged, ‘Let me be with him. Share my immortality or take it, I care not. Just let me be with my brother.’ Taking pity on his son, Zeus placed them in the heavens as part of Gemini.”_

_“That’s really nice of him.” Mitsuru mumbled, the words leaving him before he so much as thought them. But he found it was true; a brother would do anything for the other. Even he would gladly give his life if it meant Hikaru could live._

_“It is,” Their dad agreed; suddenly Mitsuru was 13 again, heart heavy and stars the only company he had. The world had gone dark around them, Hikaru had disappeared. Their dad smiled at Mitsuru, soft and sweet as he hugged him tight. “And Mitsuru? I’m so very proud of you.”_

*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*

Mitsuru blinked open his eyes, greeted with even more stars than there had been when he arrived. Something in his chest felt… light. Like he wasn’t alone, not really. Warmth surrounded him, blanketing him and protecting him from any chill that may have come with the darkness.

He didn’t feel as alone, not anymore. In a way, it felt like his dad and Hikaru were still here beside him.

With a small grunt, Mitsuru rocked onto his feet and stretched out his back, collecting the blanket a moment later.

As he folded it over his arm, Mitsuru searched out Castor and Pollux. His hand drifted to his forehead, fingers brushing the place where his dad once pressed a star to his skin.

With a smile, Mitsuru made his way back to the training center.


End file.
